The Utrecht Ship

The thousand-year-old Utrecht Ship was discovered on 3 December 1930 by workers digging on Van Hoornekade in Utrecht-Noord. At first, it was thought to be a Roman ship. The then director of the Centraal Museum had the remains of the ship moved to the museum’s basement. To get the enormous vessel inside, a large hole was cut into one of the side walls.

The ship has been on display at the Centraal Museum since 1936. And you can smell it too, as the wood was preserved with a mixture of creosote (a tar product) and linseed oil. Its scent still fills the room today.

What makes the ship so special is that its bottom consists of a single piece of oak: a hollowed-out tree trunk, subsequently bent open, measuring more than 17 metres long. Planks and beams were then added to it. The ship sailed on the Rhine and was propelled by a combination of towing, sailing, punting and rowing. Its sturdy bottom made it suitable for navigating dangerous rocks, such as those near the Lorelei. Utrecht was probably the home port of this cargo vessel, which could carry all kinds of goods.

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